St. Aidan's Catholic Academy

'Over the last two years, the school has seen a year-on-year improvement in the overall attainment and progress of pupils. By the end of Year 11 in 2017, standards had risen and were above average, especially in English.'Ofsted 2018.

English

‘English gives me the chance to be creative and express myself’

Jacob, Year 10 Student.

‘I know that a good GCSE in English will give me better chances in life’

Chris, Year 10 Student.

English gives students an appreciation of the world they live in through an understanding of how language works on all levels. We aim to help students develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening so that they can engage and appreciate the variety of language they are surrounded by in daily life.

At Key Stage 3 the English department has created a curriculum which equips pupils with the skills required at GCSE as well as providing a rich diet of both Language and Literature.

In years 7 and 8 pupils will follow a different scheme of work each half term based around the examination they will undergo in Key Stage 4. Topics include 19th century fiction, 20th century literary non-fiction, 21st century literary non-fiction, Poetry from the 18th century to present, British Drama and Shakespeare. Each unit will be formally assessed and pupils will be given a level based on their achievement every half term. At the end of the academic year a level which is based on all assessments will be awarded. In addition, in order to boost reading ages and create confidence with literacy, separate and focussed reading sessions are built into the timetable, allowing pupils to read for pleasure whilst building Vocabulary and important analytical Skills.

In Speaking and Listening we have the opportunity to express ourselves in real life as well as imaginary situation, giving the opportunity to grow in confidence and develop communication skills. Every English teacher at St Aidan’s has a passion for literature. Great writers help us to make sense of the world around us. We can lose ourselves in a characters life which increases our power of empathy. The ranges of texts studied are aimed to give a taste of British heritage as well as different cultures. As a department we seek to enrich with extra-curricular activities which give the opportunity to practice skills or see language in action through drama and film. English presents the opportunity to be expressive and creative as well as appreciative of the many great works. The beauty of English is that is does not just occur in books. It occurs in speech, conversation, poetry and song. It is all around us. We need English. Once we have it, it is a gift for life; we can do anything we want to do.